Sourdough
Tangy and chewy. Cut off the crust, toast it lightly and serve it in strips.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat sourdough from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve sourdough by age
6 months+
Lightly toasted strips, crust off
Cut a thin slice of plain sourdough, trim off the thick crust, toast it lightly until pale golden, and cut it into narrow strips. Serve it plain, or with a thin layer of something soft your baby already eats, like mashed avocado. Sourdough is chewier than sandwich bread, so if your baby is brand new to finger foods, you may like to start with toast strips and offer sourdough once they're managing those.
- Size
- Strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Press a strip between your thumb and finger. It should feel soft inside and tear easily. If it's hard or crisp, toast it more lightly next time. If it's very chewy or springs back like rubber, cut thinner strips, or offer ordinary toast strips for now.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small toasted pieces or strips
Offer small pieces of lightly toasted, crustless sourdough for pincer-grasp practice, or keep serving narrow strips with a thin soft spread, such as pasteurized cream cheese or a thin layer of smooth nut butter once nuts are introduced.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Each piece should be soft inside, not hard, crunchy or very chewy, with no crust.
12 months+
Toast fingers and small sandwiches
Serve toasted sourdough in narrow strips or small pieces, plain or as a small sandwich with a soft filling like mashed egg. Keep trimming the thick, hard crust. If you offer it untoasted, slice it thinly.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Press a piece between your thumb and finger. It should be soft, not doughy. If fresh sourdough squashes into a sticky ball, toast it lightly first.
18 months+
Family sourdough in strips
Share the family's sourdough, sliced thinly and cut into narrow strips. Your toddler can start to try softer crust, but cut off very hard, thick crust. Keep choosing loaves without whole seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels. Have your toddler sit down to eat.
- Size
- Narrow strips, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Press a piece between your thumb and finger. It should be soft, not doughy or hard. No whole seeds or grains.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare sourdough
- 1
Choose a plain sourdough with no whole seeds, nut pieces, whole grain kernels or honey, and compare labels to pick a lower-salt one.
- 2
Cut a thin slice and trim off the thick crust.
- 3
Toast it lightly, to a pale golden color, and cut it into narrow strips. Serve it plain the first time, or add a thin spread of a food your baby already eats.
- 4
First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.
How much to offer
For the very first taste, offer one or two strips. If there's no reaction, offer more next time. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Sourdough tends to be salty, so a strip or two is plenty: the NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day.
Common mistakes
Leaving the thick crust on
Sourdough crust is thick, hard and chewy. The CDC advises avoiding hard foods that are difficult to chew and swallow. Trim it off for babies.
Serving soft, fresh sourdough in chunks
Soft fresh bread can form a doughy ball in the throat. UK early years guidance suggests wholemeal or toasted bread, cut into strips for very young children. Toast sourdough lightly and slice it thin.
Seeded or honey sourdough
The CDC lists breads with seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels as choking hazards, and UK early years guidance says no whole seeds before age 5. Some loaves are made with honey: no honey, or foods made with it, before 12 months (CDC). Check the label.
Forgetting that sourdough is salty
Sourdough and similar crusty breads have about 602 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.5 g of salt), right at the NHS 'high salt' level. Compare labels, pick a lower-salt loaf, and keep portions small.
Questions parents ask
Can sourdough be a choking hazard for babies?
Sourdough has a thick, hard crust and a chewy crumb, and soft fresh bread can clump into a doughy ball. Breads with seeds, nut pieces or whole grain kernels are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children. Trim the crust, slice it thin, toast it lightly and cut it into narrow strips. Have your child sit down to eat, and stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to sourdough?
Sourdough is made with wheat, and sometimes rye, which can trigger allergic reactions, and it contains gluten. Sourdough is still a wheat bread, so it isn't suitable for a child with a wheat allergy or celiac disease. Foods with gluten can be introduced from around 6 months, one new allergen at a time and in small amounts, so you can spot any reaction. Once wheat is part of your baby's diet and they're fine with it, keep offering it regularly. Check the label for other allergens, such as seeds, milk or soy.
Is sourdough healthy for babies?
Provides carbohydrate for energy and some protein. Sourdough and other French-style breads have about 10.8 g of protein and 3.9 mg of iron per 100 g, but a strip or two is a small amount. They also contain salt: about 602 mg of sodium per 100 g (about 1.5 g of salt), right at the NHS 'high salt' level of 600 mg of sodium per 100 g.
Can babies eat sourdough?
Yes, from around 6 months: plain, with the crust cut off, lightly toasted and cut into narrow strips. It's a wheat food, so start with a small amount and watch for a reaction. Because it's chewier than sandwich bread, many parents offer ordinary toast strips first.
Is sourdough OK for babies with a wheat allergy or celiac disease?
No. Sourdough is made from wheat flour, sometimes with rye, and wheat, rye and barley all contain gluten. A child with a wheat allergy or celiac disease needs to avoid it. Ask their doctor or dietitian about gluten-free breads.
Can babies have the sourdough starter or raw dough?
No. Don't let your child taste raw sourdough starter or dough. The CDC lists raw dough made with uncooked flour as a riskier food for children under 5.
If your baby refuses sourdough
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Try a different spread, or offer softer toast strips for now.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
- Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new, tangy taste and a chewier texture.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing sourdough
- Store sourdough as the package or bakery says, and use it by the date on the label.
- Toast strips are best made fresh, just before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby has had any reaction to wheat, even a mild one. Stop offering it until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
Offered sourdough?
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Helpful guides
Sources
- CDC: Choking hazards
- Department for Education: Food safety (Help for early years providers)
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- NHS: Food labels
- CDC: Botulism prevention
- CDC: Safer food choices for children under 5
- MedlinePlus (NIH): Learn about gluten-free diets
- USDA FoodData Central: Bread, french or vienna (includes sourdough)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
More first foods
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